Tag Archives: toll

The burden of paying the Cross Bay Bridge toll may soon be relieved for residents of Rockaway and Broad Channel.

A proposed toll discount program — under Governor Andrew Cuomo’s budget proposal — calls on the state and MTA to reimburse residents for E-Z Pass fees, $1.19 each way, paid for while traveling over the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge.

Local elected officials and residents who pay the toll several times a day have long deemed the fare a problem, according to Assemblymember Phillip Goldfeder.

Goldfeder — who has been a staunch advocate for a complete toll elimination — said the toll negatively affects an already sluggish local economy and places an inherently excessive financial burden on the residents and small businesses of southern Queens and Rockaway.

“We have been advocating relentlessly to end the toll on the Cross Bay Bridge,” said Goldfeder. “From the many civic and community leaders who rallied, to the thousands of community members who signed our petition, we are one step closer to successfully eliminating this toll completely and lifting a significant financial burden off the shoulders of many hardworking families and businesses in Rockaway and Broad Channel.”

A fed-up flight attendant whose spectacular exit down an emergency chute made him a national sensation completed his court-ordered treatment program Wednesday and was sentenced to a year of probation. Steven Slater avoided jail time for his stunt when he pleaded guilty to attempted criminal mischief and agreed to undergo counseling and substance abuse treatment. Read More: CBS News

Suspected groper released from custody

Police arrested Joshua Flecha, of Queens, on charges of forcible touching and sexual abuse. Flecha was picked out of a lineup in connection with the May 7 incident, but authorities say the woman could not say for certain he was the suspect and police released him Wednesday. Read More: Wall Street Journal

Ex-George Washington Bridge employee pleads guilty to toll theft

A former toll collector at the George Washington Bridge admitted Wednesday that she stole $500 in toll funds to support her prescription-drug abuse. Debbie Rembert, 41, of Queens, admitted in court that she partly concealed the thefts by falsely reporting that trucks passed through her tollbooth but then turned around and did not cross the bridge or pay the toll. Read More: NJ.gov

Councilmember Van Bramer Announces Plans To Improve Queens Libraries

City Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer announced at the Queens Library of Woodside on Wednesday his plans to fund library improvements, including a teen center, in the 26th District. Watch the video: NY1

Man found dead in bathtub in Woodside

Detectives are investigating the death of a Queens man who was found in his bathtub Wednesday with what police described as two puncture wounds to his head. The 62-year-old Woodside man was discovered Wednesday morning after a friend became concerned when he could not reach him, police sources said. Read More: Daily News

Astoria Post Office saved

Following months of apprehension regarding the fate of the post office, the United States Postal Service (USPS) recently announced that Grand Station was removed from a list of branches targeted for potential closure. Read More: Queens Courier